With the U.S. population totaling nearly 330 million, the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based biotech firm could produce more than enough for domestic use.

Why Moderna’s Vaccine Is The Cure For An Ailing Economy

The coronavirus pandemic is both a health crisis and a catastrophic economic headwind.

The border closures and strict shelter-in-place measures crushed the travel and hospitality sectors. Oil consumption, always a good indicator of economic activity, has plummeted, sending its price crashing. Bankruptcies are rising and businesses that were previously thriving are struggling.

A coronavirus vaccine will make it possible to relax the lockdown measures. Economies could thus reopen safely and sooner without worrying about a resurgence in coronavirus cases and deaths.

While we urgently need a coronavirus vaccine, there is reason to be cautious. Moderna’s mRNA-1273 is still undergoing trials and is months away from being clinically approved.

But there are also numerous other coronavirus vaccine candidates from around the world. Moderna’s mRNA-1273 isn’t the only one. Success for any of them would be a win for humanity. It will mark the beginning of an economic recovery.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of WaheedCh.com. The above should not be considered medical advice from WaheedCh.com.

Global Economy Will Take A Significant Hit From Coronavirus

According to Gates, the global economy will contract in the range of “tens of trillions of dollars.” Even worse, the Microsoft co-founder expects the reduced economic activity levels to last for years.

Already, the International Monetary Fund expects the global economy to contract by 3% in 2020.

New Zealand is preparing to ease rules on a strict lockdown put in place to limit the spread of coronavirus after the country's health chief said it had 'eliminated' Covid-19.

The country has reported single figure cases for numerous days, and five new Covid-19 cases on Monday, but has not seen widespread community transition and will allow a partial reopening of the economy.

At the daily media briefing, Director General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said there was one confirmed case and four new probable cases today and the total number of active Covid-19 cases is now 1469.

The latest victim to the virus was a woman in her 90s, who was a resident at St Margaret's Rest Home in Auckland and had underlying health conditions, he said. She was part of a group from the rest home who had been transferred to Waitakere Hospital.

Dr Bloomfield said 1180 people had now recovered from Covid-19, an increase of 38 on yesterday.

"This means around 80 percent of our cases are now recovered," the Radio New Zealand quoted him as saying.

He said there were seven people in hospital, including one person in ICU in Middlemore.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the country has so far managed to avoid the worst scenarios for an outbreak and would continue to hunt down the last few cases.

However, authorities have warned against complacency reiterating it does not mean a total end to new coronavirus cases.

From midnight on Monday, some non-essential business, healthcare education activities will be able to resume, but social distancing rules will still apply.

“We are opening up the economy, but we’re not opening up people’s social lives,” Ms Ardern said at the daily government briefing.

PM Ardern said alert level 4 had been nearly five weeks "living and working in ways that just two months ago would have seemed impossible, but we did and we have done it together".

She said testing had grown from zero to the capacity to perform 8000 tests per day, one of the highest rates of testing per capita.

Teachers are also getting ready for alert level 3 when some students will return to classes.

Schools are reopening on Wednesday for children up to Year 10 who cannot study from home, or whose parents need to return to work.

While building firms are preparing to return to work tomorrow, although there will be restrictions in place.

Under level 3, workers can resume on-site work, provided they have a Covid-19 control plan in place, with appropriate health and safety and physical distancing measures.

The global crisis and financial market turmoil have many investors looking into whether cryptocurrencies, such as bitcoin, are a good investment for them. A Japanese analyst has predicted high institutional investor demand for bitcoin post coronavirus crisis, giving three key reasons why the cryptocurrency is an attractive investment.

High Institutional Demand Expected Post Coronavirus Crisis

The covid-19 pandemic has led to an unprecedented economic crisis, with the IMF calling it the worst recession since the Great Depression. Companies are missing their earnings estimates and many traditional investments have taken a hit across the board. The crisis has investors scrambling to find safe haven assets, and more people are now asking whether cryptocurrencies, such as bitcoin, are a good investment.

Bitcoin Lab CEO Tetsuyuki Oishi, a guest crypto analyst at Japanese financial company Fisco, shared three reasons earlier this week why he sees considerable demand from institutional investors for cryptocurrencies post the pandemic.

Firstly, he said that the stock market may lose its attractiveness after the coronavirus crisis due to decreased demand for many companies’ products, resulting in long-term declines in corporate profits. He elaborated:

MOST CONSENSUS IS THAT A V-SHAPED RECOVERY OF STOCK PRICES IS DIFFICULT. THEREFORE, INVESTORS NEED TO SEEK OUT INVESTMENT OPTIONS OTHER THAN STOCKS. INVESTORS CAN’T JUST PUT EVERYTHING IN CASH.

A Japanese cryptocurrency analyst has predicted considerable demand for cryptocurrencies from institutional investors post covid-19 pandemic. Bitcoin.com has a crypto exchange where bitcoin, bitcoin cash, and a number of other cryptocurrencies can be purchased.

Next, the analyst asserted that cryptocurrencies are attractive because there is still very little correlation between them and traditional investments. He explained: “During the plunge, of course, all assets were sold, both gold and bitcoins were sold, but they picked up thereafter … As a result, there is more room to incorporate assets that will have little correlation with the uncertain future society.”

Another reason why investors will be more interested in cryptocurrencies compared to other asset types is that “among such uncorrelated assets, the one most investors have not yet incorporated [into their portfolios] is cryptocurrency, especially BTC,” Oishi opined.

Regarding the level of interest for cryptocurrencies, the analyst cited Grayscale Investments’ Q1 2020 earnings report showing capital inflows totaling $503.7 million into cryptocurrency investment products. “This is the largest scale ever,” he wrote, adding that $388.9 million went into Grayscale Bitcoin Trust for BTC. Furthermore, 88% of all investments made in the quarter were by institutional investors. Oishi added, “It is good news that investors’ interest in virtual currencies has not declined,” concluding that interest from institutional investors is expected to continue after the coronavirus crisis.

Many analysts, financial experts, and millionaire investors have recommended putting bitcoin in investment portfolios. Rich Dad Poor Dad author Robert Kiyosaki, for example, has repeatedly said that the dollar is dead and people should invest in bitcoin.

Financial Experts Recommend Bitcoin in Portfolios

Before the spread of coronavirus and subsequent economic turmoil, financial experts were already recommending some exposure to cryptocurrencies within investment portfolios.

JPMorgan, for example, wrote in a February report that “The crypto market continues to mature, and cryptocurrency trading participation by institutional investors is now significant.” Predicting that “Bonds may lose their ability to hedge equity portfolios over the next several years,” the firm suggested that “less-constrained markets like the yen and gold should form part of long-term hedges,” elaborating:

CRYPTOCURRENCIES SHOULD BE ADDED TO THIS LIST TOO … BECAUSE THEY CAN UNIQUELY HEDGE A YET-UNSEEN ENVIRONMENT ENTAILING SIMULTANEOUS LOSS OF CONFIDENCE IN THE DOMESTIC CURRENCY AND ITS PAYMENTS SYSTEM.

Furthermore, various finance experts have recommended putting bitcoin in investment portfolios. Rich Dad Poor Dad author Robert Kiyosaki has repeatedly said that the dollar is dead and people should invest their stimulus money in bitcoin. Virgin Galactic chairman Chamath Palihapitiya has long vouched for allocating at least 1% of portfolios in bitcoin. In addition, Galaxy Digital chairman Mike Novogratz pointed out that with all the money printing central banks are doing, it is prime time to buy bitcoin.

Do you think more people will invest in bitcoin post covid-19? Let us know in the comments section below.

In Britain's Oxford University, microbiologist Elisa Granato, is injected as part of the first human trials in the UK for a potential coronavirus vaccine on Thursday April 23, 2020. | Source: (Oxford University Pool via AP

Coronavirus vaccines can be produced before the projected 18 months, scientists say.

In the U.K., Oxford researchers injecting the first vaccines in humans said a vaccine could come by September.

The U.K., South Korea, China, the U.S., Switzerland, and Germany are prioritizing vaccine testing.

The expectations for a coronavirus vaccine has waned in the past several weeks, following Dr. Anthony Fauci’s firm statement that it is unlikely to arrive in the next 12 to 18 months. But, three key factors indicate that there is a possibility vaccines can be produced sooner than projected.

The three factors that could push for faster vaccine production are: Germany’s approval of human testing, at least five major countries prioritizing the creation of vaccines, and several major conglomerates exploring alternative coronavirus vaccine types.

Alternative Vaccines Being Explored

In the first week of April, cigarette manufacturer British American Tobacco said its subsidiary Kentucky BioProcessing is using tobacco plant technology to run clinical coronavirus vaccine tests on animals.

The company’s director of scientific research David O’Reilly said that he believes BAT has made a “significant breakthrough” in vaccine development. He emphasized that it is in the process of securing partnerships with government agencies for human testing.

Swiss pharma giants are also focusing on the development of alternative coronavirus vaccines.

Bill Gates says vaccines are the way to end coronavirus pandemic | Source: MSNBC